


You Must Have Your Breakfast

by soupdujour



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Day 2, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Friendship/Love, M/M, Mental Health Issues, OMGCP 14 Days of Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-09-21 17:51:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9560300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soupdujour/pseuds/soupdujour
Summary: Kent spends the weekend with Jack and Bitty in Providence, and Bitty learns more about himself than he expected.No angst, no drama, just some pure fluff with a dash of mental health coping strategies thrown in. Today's prompt was rarepair and, well, what rarer pair than Bitty and Kent being friends?





	

“And you’re sure he has to stay here, with us?” Bitty asked, for the fourth time that night.

Jack looked up from the dinner table at Bitty, who hadn’t spoken for the last ten minutes. The silence was heavy in Jack’s Providence condo, suffocating the two of them like a blanket. The sunset was streaming in through one of the kitchen’s arched windows, and it lit up Jack’s features in a way that made Bitty sorry for having said anything at all. He wasn’t necessarily mad at Jack – he found it almost impossible to be mad at him – but he was trying to wrap his head around the situation. And he wasn’t jealous. Certainly not. Never. Not Bitty. Nope.

“I’m sorry, Bits. I really wish there was another way around this, but…” Jack responded, his wide eyes indicating how earnest the apology was.

“I know, I know, sweetpea. He’s your oldest friend, and after all you’ve learned about your mental health you should really be there for him when he needs it and blah blah blah.” Bitty didn’t mean the last part of his reply to come out so condescending, but he found that when it came to Kent Parson, his natural kindness wore off. Just a tinge.

“I know it’s going to be weird, but I promise you. What happened between Kent and me was over a decade ago, and we did...” Jack squirmed in his seat, watching Bitty’s reaction. “We did what we did for all the wrong reasons. We were experimenting with each other because it was comfortable, but it was comfortable because we were just friends and nothing else. It took me a while to realize that, but I know it for sure now.”

Jack had repeated that speech so often over the last week that he had it down to a science. Bitty still found it encouraging to hear the words coming out of his mouth, though. If he was going to make it through this weekend, he would need all the reassurance he could get.

When Jack had initially pitched the idea to Bitty, he was supportive and didn’t let Jack know how uncomfortable the entire situation made him. It was only when Jack prodded him for the thirtieth time that Bitty admitted he wasn’t crazy about the idea, although Bitty smiled when he realized that only Jack would have been able to sense that something was wrong underneath a dozen layers of Southern charm.

And so Jack began explaining to Bitty why he thought it would be a good idea for Kent to come spend the weekend with them in Providence. The Aces had just lost game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals, and he knew that Kent would be feeling distraught and alone. He had nobody to turn to in Las Vegas, and he would need some friendly, familiar faces to help him through what was inevitably a hard time.

“But I don’t understand,” Bitty started, the first time Jack had brought this up. “The Falcs just lost in the quarter-finals. Why didn’t you expect Kent to come help you out?”

Jack smiled when Bitty asked this.

“Kent knows I don’t need anyone else. I have you”

Bitty knew that he would have to surrender in that moment. He may not be happy about Kent coming to stay with them for a weekend, but there was no fighting that look in Jack’s eyes.

And so that was how they decided that Kent would be staying with them for the weekend. Jack had given him a call while Bitty was in the kitchen rolling out dough, but he swore he could make out Jack saying “no, Parse, I’m sure he doesn’t care,” somewhere in the conversation.

Kent arrived late Friday night, his plane from Vegas having been delayed a few hours. Jack and Bitty were notified of Kent’s arrival not by Kent himself, but by the friendly limousine driver and the half-dozen bags with which Kent travelled. Bitty was beginning to wonder where all of the bags would fit when he heard the elevator ding, announcing what he assumed would be the driver with yet another bag. He stood in the doorway, grinning absentmindedly, and found himself face to face with Kent Parson.

“Oh, hi. Eric, right?” Kent huffed.

“Oh – who? – uh, right, yeah, that’s me” Bitty stuttered out, cursing himself for blushing. “But everyone calls me Bitty, so you can call me that too, I guess.”

Kent looked Bitty up and down, not even bothering to hide his gaze. They shared a few more moments of awkward silence before Jack came from the guest bedroom, where he had been dropping off the last of Kent’s luggage.

“Hiya Parse! Good to have you here with us,” Jack exclaimed. The joy in his voice sounded genuine, and Bitty wasn’t sure how that made him feel.

“Yeah, thanks Jack.” Kent answered, staring at his shoe.

The three of them shared a late dinner that Bitty reheated at the stove, while Jack and Kent talked hockey. Bitty could feel Jack’s gaze linger on himself for just a second every now and then, as if Jack were checking in to make sure he was fine. Bitty himself didn’t know if he was fine, but he had already submitted himself to this weekend. This was for Kent, not for himself. If his Moo Maw had taught him one thing, it was that kindness is a virtue. Bitty was damn well determined to be virtuous this weekend – and that starts with dessert.

“Can I interest either of you boys in some pie?” Bitty asked while clearing up some dishes.

“Yeah, sure,” Kent responded. “Let’s finally have a taste of the baker that has half the NHL dieticians losing their minds.”

Jack laughed at this, and Bitty promptly made his way to the fridge, pleased with the knowledge that, if nothing else, his baking’s reputation had already preceded him. He placed a kettle on the stove, preparing some tea to go with the pie, when he heard someone’s fist bang on the table.

“No way! Marty said that to you in the middle of practice? That’s hilarious!” Kent exclaimed through shakes of laughter. Bitty looked over at Jack and found that he was laughing, too. It was nice to see the two of them laughing together – even if it made Bitty sting a little.

Jack noticed Bitty standing in the doorway holding the pie and kettle, and waved him over.

“Bits, did I tell you what Marty told me during our last practice before the quarter-finals?” Jack asked.

Bitty shook his head in response.

“Come, I’ll tell you. Kent, you don’t mind hearing it again, right?”

“Not at all, dude.”

When Bitty went to take his seat at the table, Jack shook his head and spread out his arms.

“Nope. Over here, sir.”

Bitty blushed, but climbed onto Jack’s lap. The three of them sat together, Bitty on Jack’s lap and Kent sitting across from them, and joked and ate pie and traded stories and drank tea until well into the night. Bitty found himself enjoying Kent’s company, even while keeping him at arm’s length. He never did quite get over the conversation he had overheard so many years ago, and – despite what he was telling himself – he was jealous of the history he and Jack shared. Still, as the night went on, as Bitty wove himself closer and closer to Jack and as Kent’s stiff demeanor gradually loosened up, he found that Kent’s company wasn’t half as bad as he thought it would be.

Bitty woke up the next morning to an empty bed and a note on the pillow beside him.

“Gone for a run. – Jack”

Bitty smiled lazily and curled up under the blankets, ready to squeeze in an extra hour of sleep, until he remembered their guest in the next room. His Southern Hospitality mode kicked in and prevented him from sleeping any longer (he made a mental note to curse his mother for that on their next Skype call), and he padded over to the washroom to get ready and make breakfast. He was in the middle of brushing his teeth, eyes half closed, when the noise of the kettle startled him awake.

He wandered over to the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, expecting to find Jack making a cup of tea. Instead, he found Kent hunched over a frying pan, kettle boiling to his left, blonde curls rumpled up from sleep, and his eyes focused on the pancakes in front of him.

“Uh – morning Kent,” Bitty started with, unsure of what else to say. “Sleep okay?”

“Oh – hi Eric. Yeah. I ran into Jack this morning and he said I could help myself before he left so I figured,” he gestured aimlessly to the various bowls and plates around him, “I would make you guys breakfast. To, you know, thank you, and stuff.”

Bitty found himself gratified by the blush in Kent’s cheeks.

“Well, that’s mighty sweet of you. It’s nice to have someone else do the cooking for a change – Lord knows it’s always me. Not that I dislike it, mind you, I love being the cook and havin’ everyone around eating my food. It’s just nice to wake up and find breakfast is already made.”

Bitty was fully aware that he was rambling and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Kent’s anxious gaze met Bitty’s high-speed mouth with a look that was thankful for Bitty filling the awkward silence, if nothing else.

Bitty walked himself over to the coffee maker and found a pot of coffee, freshly brewed and steaming hot.

“Ah, fresh coffee, too! A man after my own heart, Kent,” Bitty said, pouring himself a cup of piping hot coffee. He had picked out a mug Jack bought him two years ago for Valentine’s Day, and that he hadn’t used since. It was bright pink and covered with hearts, and the handle was wrapped in a quilted fabric, like a sweater. Bitty thought it was adorably obnoxious, and he definitely did not pick it because of who was in his kitchen. No sir.

Bitty sat at the island, scrolling through Twitter and sipping coffee, while Kent finished cooking breakfast. He offered up a plate of pancakes, bacon, and fresh fruit to Bitty, and served another for himself.

“Here. I’m sure it’s not going to be as good as anything you make, especially after that dinner last night, but it really was the least I could do. For, you know…” Kent trailed off.

“Don’t mention it, Kent. This looks delicious,” Bitty said with a smile, and he found that he actually meant it.

They ate in a comfortable-yet-somehow-also-awkward silence for a few moments, until Kent started talking.

“You know, if it were my boyfriend’s longtime-friend-who-he-used-to-sleep-with come over to stay for the weekend, I’d be pretty peeved,” Kent said with a flat expression, but he met Bitty’s gaze with curious, kind eyes.

Bitty decided it would be useless to lie. He was good at putting on a happy face, sure, but there was no doubt in his mind that Kent had sensed some of the tension in Bitty since he had arrived in Providence.

“Look, Kent. I’m not gonna sit here and pretend like it’s easy. But I know you and Jack go way back, and it was important for him to have you here, for your sake. And if it’s important for Jack, then it’s important for me, too,” Bitty finished with half a smile lingering on the corner of his lips.

“I just want you to know, Eric –“

“I was serious, yesterday. Call me Bitty.”

Kent rolled his eyes at the nickname, but with a friendly smile, continued:

“Okay – Bitty. There isn’t anything between me and Jack, and, if I’m being honest, there never was. At least, not in the way you two have it. The world looks at you and it just… it fits. The two of you make so much sense, and it isn’t a question of whether he loves you more than he loved me, because he never really loved me. Not in the same way. We were kids then, too young and too stupid to be making any of the decisions we did. It hurt Jack in a more public way, but I always was better at hiding my feelings than he was.”

Bitty let the information sink in, and nodded at Kent.

“The truth is, I was ecstatic when Jack called me over here. I’ve been meaning to… not make amends, that sounds ridiculous. But acknowledge that I’m not the same person I was back then, or back when you first saw me at Samwell, or yesterday, even. I don’t get everything right all the time – and more often than not I get it wrong. But what you and Jack have is so special, and it’s so obviously the kind of relationship people like Nicholas Sparks write about, that I wanted Jack, and you, to know that I’m happy for both of you. Really.”

Bitty looked into Kent’s eyes and saw something he hadn’t seen there before, something he hadn’t noticed behind the hardened, glamorous exterior. He found sadness, vulnerability, and longing. He found curiosity, and strength, and determination.

“I know Jack invited me over here because he thinks I’ve been sad about losing the Cup – which, I’ll admit, blows – but I’ve got things to help me through that, now.” Kent’s eyes flickered with a spark when he mentioned that, and Bitty thought back to all the stories Kent shared the previous night about someone named “Tater,” and thought it better to bring up another time.

“I’m here, though, because I want you and Jack to know how happy I am for the two of you. And I wanted you especially to see, in person, that what Jack and I had was never even in the same universe as what the two of you have. Also, I heard you make a killer pie, and I wasn’t disappointed.”

Bitty smiled at the compliment, and took a sip of coffee in a futile attempt to hide his face while wiping a tear out of the corner of his eye.

“Thanks, Kent. That really… that really means a lot.” Bitty managed to choke out, offering a watery smile in response.

The two of them turned at the sound of keys in the door, and Jack’s body soon filled the doorframe.

Not for the first time, Bitty found himself taken aback by Jack’s beauty. But this was different. He realized, now, how little he had to worry about Kent, and how what he and Jack had really was special. Not just special – it was earth-shattering, world-changing. The kind of thing that you only find once in your life, that makes everything else seem irrelevant.

Bitty giggled as Jack tripped trying to untie one of his sneakers, and realized, for what was certainly not the first time, and certainly wouldn’t be the last, how stupidly, over the top in love he was with Jack Zimmermann.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks for reading!
> 
> This was written for day 2 of the 14 Days of Love Check Please fic-a-thon. You can reach me on tumblr @zimbitsdujour if you want to chat!
> 
> The title is from Wilkie Collins's 1868 novel "The Moonstone." The full quote reads: "We had our breakfasts - whatever happens in a house, robbery or murder, it doesn't matter, you must have your breakfast."


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